baldwin



"(No Model.)

l J. A. BALDWIN, Combined Extension Shelf and Portable Door--- for Closing Openings in Refrigerators and Milk Bureaus.

No. 231,643. D Patented Aug. 31, 1880..

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F I V f fi lINiTED STATES PATENT Orricn.

J UDSON, A. BALDWIN, OF SHELBURNE, VERMONT.

COMBINED EXTENSION-SHELF AND PORTABLE DOOR FOR CLOSING OPENINGS IN REFRIGERATORS AND MILK-BUREAUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 231,643, dated August 31, 1880.

Application filed July 522. 1880.

I do hereby declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,

reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My improvement consists in an extensionshelf for refrigerators or milk-bureaus in con nection with a device for closing the opening in the case to temporarily prevent the escape of air which has been artificially cooled or heated. It is simple in its construction, and reliably as well as conveniently accomplishes the object desired.

In the drawings similar letters refer to similar parts.

Figures 1 and 2 are sections of a refrigerator or bureau which embody my invention. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a refrigerator, showing both doors open.

For greater convenience and efficiency, I prefer to arrange my extension-shelf and door in two ways, which I will describe hereinafter.

The first arrangement is more especially adapted to the lower openings in the case, through which the more bulky and heavy articles are intended to be passed.

A is the case of the refrigerator or bureau; B, the door of the lower opening in the same. This door is hinged at the bottom, and serves as an outside extension to sustain the movable shelf or rack 0 when drawn forward upon it. b I) are circular braces on either side of the door B to support the door when opened and regulate its movement. This is accomplished by attaching one end of thebrace to the side of thedoor, the other end being passed through a metallic loop located midway on the inside of the door-casing, and sufficiently large to (No model.)

allow the brace to slide through it easily. Stops c, projecting from this extremity, prevent the door from falling below a horizontal position. Cleats a to extend parallel to each other horizontally from the bottom of the doorway to the rear wall of the refrigerator, on

which is laid a metallic rail, (1, to facilitate the sliding forward of the port-able shelf or rack 0. Extensions of these rails in a direct line outward are hinged to the front ends of the cleats a. They rest loosely on the inside of the door B, the staples through which they pass preventing their movement sidewise.

The portable shelf or ,rack O is mounted upon casters or wheels grooved to fit the rails d, and is provided with a back, 0, of a size somewhat larger than the opening filled by the door B.

In operation the door B, being opened down to a level, where it is firmly held by the stops 0, exposes the continuous horizonal and parallel rails d d, extending from the rear of the refrigerator to nearly the front or upper edge, of the door. The shelf or rack G, containing the articles, no matter how heavy they may be, can then be easily rolled forward till the back 6 touches the inner surface of the openin g, thus wholly preventing the escape of the cooled or heated airof the refrigerator during even a lengthy examination of them. To close the opening, reverse these movements by pushing the shelf 0 back to place and raising the door B. The hinging of the extensionrails allows them to slide forward through the staples sufficiently far to permit the door B to be tightly closed.

The second arrangement is to more conveniently handle lighter or smaller articles in the upper portion of the refrigerator.

I hang the door D on its side, and attach at its bottom, on the inside, a shelf or rack, E, made in the shape of a segment of a circle, its radius being short enough to prevent the are from impinging upon the door-casing. An inner door, F, is correspondingly hung upon the inside of the casi n g, to the bottom of which a drop catch,'f, is attached, which hooks upon the interior edge of the shelf E, so that, if desired, the act of opening the door D draws forward the door F, so that when the door D is opened, until its shelf E is outside of the refrigerator, the opening in the refrigerator is effectually closed by the shutting of the door F. An interior shelf or rack, Gr, may be attached to the rear wall of the refrigerator, as shown, to which access is readily obtained by detaching the inner door, F, from the shelf or rack E. Having thus described my invention, I c1aim 1. In a refrigerator or milk-bureau, the combination of a door, a movable shelf, and an inside door which is attached to the shelf, the inside door being made to close the opening in the side of the refrigerator when the shelf 15 is drawn out, substantially as shown.

2. In a refrigerator or milk-bureau, the 00111 bination of the door B and cleats (0, having the track 61 upon them, the shelf 0, provided with wheels, and having attached to its inner 20 end the back 0, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witness.

JUDSON A. BALDWIN.

Witnesses:

E. R. POWELL, CHAS. F. LEWIS. 

